St. Landry democrat., 1887-07-02


clunk merrly in unison with the horses
steps; pretty ladies in gaudy summer raj
ment gladden. the scene on every hand;
merry children chase one another on the
lawns and sidewalks, and the very air huns
with the sounds Of pleasureand ofhuman bus
tie Almost simultaneously the evening trains
on two railroads begin TO empty their i'm
mense loads of New York business men at
the depots, and a whirlwind of hacks and
buses starts up at once and adds to the ex-
element, while from the south another vast
procession of swift-fying wheels brings back
the people from the great race track at Mon
mouth Park Four-in-hand, tandem teams,
skeleton sulkies, Eictorias, baroucheS, horse
back riders, immense hotel stages all rumble
along together and among the riders one
sees a little world of famous miliOnaires
actors, actresses, brokers, gamblers, lawyers
pugilists and wealthy idlers. From then
until midnight Long Branch is gay and
lively place The great parlors are filled
with dancing parties; the half-ighted streets
are paced by lingering couples of happy
victims of Cupids shafts; the billiard and
bowling-rooms are crowded with players;
the balconies are literally packed with men
and women resting in the cool night air the
restaurants and dining-rooms lin one OF
which 500 persons are seated every dinner
time) are brilliantly lighted and busy, and
Long Branch is herself.
The only mention of bathing in Slis article
was incidental to a description OF MIR.
Hoey's new resort, Hollywood. That was an
intentional slight to fascinating diversion,
for there is very little sea-bathlng at Long
Branch What all the reasons are don't
know, but an important one is that the sea
has advanced so far against and into the bluff
that it is not profitable to provide good bath
houses, and only the shabbiest. cheapest
boxes are to be had. These the sea wrecks
now and then. Another thing is that tie
| beach incIines steeply and the water is very
deep and boiste"ous With the old bath
boxes naturally go the conventional, homely
and uncomfortable blue flannel suits OF yore,
50 that bathing has many disadvantages. or
course hundreds battle every morning, but
most persons do not. and the bathing is not
picturesque. At Hollywood the very reverse
| is true There is good beach there, and the
| rich bellies and handsome young men bring
| their own water costumes and devote much
| tillc W bdtillilS. &1ilAlobllS AAS1SN1A Ai~'~A
! graced the sea with more enchanting lowell
! ness than do some of these pretty maidens
at Hollywood with their especially-designed
! and perfectly-titted suits of colored tlannels,
| iauntily shaped and often richly ornamented
with braid, strong lace and pretty bows and
belts. But they battle privately-out of the
range of the staring public that masses itself
at the other bathing points.
The last phase of life at Long Branch is
/ left to the last, not because it is unlmport-
ant, but because it is not pleasant to write
about. The nearby race track and the
readily-reached metropolis, combined with
| the non-enforcement of the laws, have
caused Long Branch to be called the Monte
| Carlo of America. Not only were there five
| gambling houses, all as open as the hotels,
most of last summer, but the spirit OF gam
bling pervaded the atmosphere. Printed
tips on the races were hawked III the
! hotels, men and women wagered money ON
every conceivable chance and winnings and
losses on the turf and the green cloth were
discussed openly by apparently nearly every
sort of persons. This is more or less SO now
and always. With this spirit and with the
devotees of gaming have come to Long
Branch other evils not necessary to name
Fortunately, the place is SO big and the OPP
portunities for enjoyment are so varied that
one can pass the time there in undlsturbeti
innocence as well as anywhere in the world.